Chapter 776

The words slipped out lightly, carelessly, nothing more than a random comment from Naomi after realizing there had once been a piece of her past closely tied to someone as cold and untouchable as Cale Miller. Just a small joke after seeing the old photograph Cale had kept neatly tucked inside his wallet for years.

She laughed at first, but little by little, the sound faded when the man across from her continued staring at her intently. The atmosphere in the room slowly turned still.

Cale said nothing. He kept looking at Naomi longer than usual. His gaze remained calm, yet somehow it made her heartbeat grow increasingly uneasy.

“Hey…” Naomi shifted awkwardly under his stare. “Don’t tell me I was right?”

The corner of Cale’s lips lifted slightly, forming a faint smile filled with meaning.

“Back then,” he said quietly, “you really did say you wanted to marry me.”

Naomi’s eyes widened instantly. “What?”

“You were still little at the time.”

“No way!”

“Why not?” Cale shrugged casually. “If only I’d recorded it, I’m sure you’d beg me to delete it now.”

Naomi dragged a frustrated hand down her face. “No! I would never ask you to do that. And that’s… that’s ridiculous!”

A soft chuckle escaped Cale as he watched Naomi spiral into panic all on her own. For the first time since what happened in Carrington Bay, the atmosphere between them finally felt lighter.

Memories from the past resurfaced one after another inside his mind. A little girl named Naomi who constantly trailed after him everywhere, causing trouble around him, always demanding his attention every time Cale came to visit. She had never stopped orbiting around him back then.

Those memories… they were among the sweeter ones Cale still carried from his past.

Before that tragedy happened.

“You can’t possibly have taken my childish wish seriously, right, Mr. Miller?” Naomi asked in growing panic. “Or maybe… you actually agreed to it? To marrying me?”

But before Cale could answer, the soft sound of the door opening came from behind them.

Lydia stepped inside carrying a small tray with warm tea and several slices of bread. “I thought you two might be hungry after talking for so-”

Her words stopped abruptly.

Lydia froze near the doorway the moment her eyes landed on Cale kneeling in front of Naomi. From where Lydia stood, Naomi seemed to be holding something, though she couldn’t see it clearly. A photograph? But what kind of photograph? And in Lydia’s eyes, the distance between them looked far too intimate for an ordinary conversation.

Naomi’s face was visibly flushed.

And worst of all…

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+25 Bonus

Lydia had heard the last piece of their conversation.

“…marry me?”

Lydia’s face changed the instant she repeated those words. It was more than shock. Confusion, suspicion, and hurt all crossed her expression at once.

Crash!

The tray slipped from her hands and slammed against the floor. The teacups shattered into pieces while hot tea spread across the polished marble.

Naomi immediately shot to her feet in panic. “Mrs. Lydia!”

At the same time, Cale rose from his seat. “Lydia.” 1

But instead of coming closer, Lydia instinctively stepped back.

Her gaze moved quickly between Naomi and Cale before stopping on the old photograph still clutched in Naomi’s hand.

“Marry?” Lydia repeated softly. Her voice trembled slightly, the words she had just heard clearly catching her completely off guard.

Naomi’s panic deepened instantly. She hurried toward Lydia, her face turning pale.

“This is a misunderstanding, Mrs. Lydia!” she blurted out quickly. “I was only joking! We were talking about the past, and I had no idea that-”

“The past?” Lydia cut in quietly, her eyes shifting to Cale. “What past are you talking about that you’ve never told me?”

Cale let out a short breath while Naomi looked seconds away from crying. The entire atmosphere had turned chaotic far too quickly.

“Mrs. Lydia, please believe me.” Naomi nervously gripped her own arm, holding onto herself as if trying to stop her hands from shaking. Her eyes stayed fixed on Lydia with a pleading look, desperately hoping the woman would listen to her. “I honestly don’t remember anything because I was too little back then. I was only shocked by what Mr. Miller said just now. Really.”

But Lydia was too shaken to calm herself that easily.

Never, not even once, had she imagined that while bringing breakfast for her husband and the girl she considered her younger sister, she would end up hearing something so utterly unexpected.